Ekiti State governor, Biodun Oyebanji’s second term bid got a huge boost on Monday when thousands of commercial drivers in the state declared total support for him.
At a rally in Ado-Ekiti, the drivers, under the aegis of Association of Drivers’ Union in Ekiti State, said they came to the conclusion that Oyebanji re-election is the best for the state owing to his developmental milestones across all the sectors of the economy.
The Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers, (NURTW), Joseph Falope, said that they are the direct beneficiaries of his developmental milestones in the area of road infrastructure, quality healthcare delivery, payment of salary and pensions, among others.
While lauding the giant strides achieved by the Oyebanji’s administration since assumption of office, he noted that the enviable achievements has endeared him to the hearts of Ekiti residents and pledged his total support for his re-election campaign.
His counterparts from Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Nigerian Association of Co-operative Transporters (NACT), Sunday Adeola and Afolabi Kehinde respectively, equally pledged their unflinching support noting that members have been directed to work towards the achievement of this objective in the forthcoming gubernatorial election.
In the same vein, branch chairmen of NURTW in Ureje and Ado-Lagos, Oluwatimileyin Akintunde and Atoki Ayodeji respectively, restated that the associations has since directed its members across the state to mobilise support and voters aimed at ensuring that the governor consolidates on his administration’s gains in the first tenure.
Responding, Governor Oyebanji commended the transport community for their overwhelming solidarity and support, describing them “critical stakeholders in the Ekiti project.”
He lauded the unity among the drivers’ union saying that “for the peace you have maintained in Ekiti State, I am extremely grateful to all the three unions for your support, cooperation, understanding and for your patience with our administration.
“I have been in Ekiti State since its creation and it has never been this peaceful among all the unions in Ekiti. In everything we have done, after God and President Bola Tinubu that has been supporting us, the next person to thank is the drivers’ union. You know that this state belongs to all of us and you have maintained absolute peace.”
While acknowledging the enormous contributions of drivers’ union to the state’s economy, Oyebanji reiterated his commitment to ensure that no one in the state lacks sustainable economic development.
The governor reaffirmed that the forthcoming poll affords the state the opportunity to reward the President with their overwhelming votes and urged them to maintain peace before, during and after the June 20 governorship election.
The rally, which drew top government officials, drivers’ union executives, and thousands of drivers, was capped off with an Award of Excellence to the governor for his ‘Outstanding Contributions to Peace and Unity of Drivers’ Union.’
